On the second day of the festival, everyone gathers at the village playing field to watch the wrestling contest between men of the village and men of a neighboring village. The first matches, between two teams of boys fifteen or sixteen years old, provide entertainment and excitement before the main events. One of the victorious boys is Maduka, the son of Okonkwo’s good friend Obierika. Neighbors greet each other and tension builds until matches between the real wrestlers begin.
The current priestess of the Oracle, Chielo, talks casually with Ekwefi about Okonkwo’s attack on her and about Ekwefi’s daughter Ezinma, of whom Chielo seems particularly fond.
As the drums thunder, two teams of twelve men challenge each other. Many expect the final match between the two greatest fighters in the villages to be uneventful because of the similar styles of the two wrestlers. However, the spectators are thrilled when the local fighter, Okafo, takes advantage of one of his opponent’s moves and suddenly defeats him. The crowd carries the victorious Okafo on their shoulders with pride.
